Tellme: Uses and Abuses
by Screamer Chaotix (screamer@hackermind.net)
Tellme Networks is, in this writer's opinion, a fantastic new service that has more features than this article could ever cover.
By dialing 1-800-555-8355 (TELL) you are connected to a free, voice activated system. Provided are services such as "phone booth," allowing a person to make a free one minute call to virtually anywhere in the U.S.
"Wake Up Call," which does exactly what it says it does, is completely free of charge. And "Driving Directions," which is very useful if you need to figure out how to get somewhere while you're on the road. Personally I would hate to see anyone abuse this wonderful service, but nonetheless some flaws do exist.
This article is meant to introduce the reader to the possibilities provided by the kind people at Tell Me, and is not for the purposes of defrauding anyone.
Uses
The first feature of interest would most likely be "Phone Booth."
Call up Tellme at 800-555-8355 and, after a brief ad (which is the only price you need to pay), speak the words "Phone Booth" at the prompt. You'll be automatically transferred to this feature, which will then let you call any number in the U.S. that you wish.
The only exceptions are 900 numbers or other "pay per use" services, such as 800 numbers that lead to operators. Once your call is connected, you have one minute to speak your mind before a verbal warning notifies you that only 20 seconds remain. While slightly annoying, it can be incredibly useful when you just want to say "hi" and don't feel like faking out 1-800-COLLECT.
Sadly, if you do not have a cellular phone handy you won't be able to make free calls away from home, due to Tellme warning you that you cannot call them from a payphone (should you try).
Luckily, this is easily remedied. By pressing 0 to get the local operator, you can inform them that the payphone you are currently at won't let you dial a toll-free number. Considering payphones are bound by law to provide this, the operator will not give you any problems.
Tell them the number is 800-555-8355, and voil&qgrave;! You should hear the sweet sound of the Tellme welcome message. This is where things start to get very interesting. But before I show you how certain services can be abused, I'd like to explain their proper uses.
"Wake Up Call" is one of these particular features. From there you can set up a wake up call to your phone number (remember, ANI tells them where you're calling from). If you're at a different location, they'll either say that you need to call in from that number or they'll give you a call back. This can make it difficult for people to wake up their best friend's at 3 am... but not impossible.
The last feature I will cover is the "Driving Directions." How many times have you been lost in a strange city with nothing but an address you're trying to reach? Well, with Tellme, all you need to do is find out what address you're sitting next to and call them up. First you tell the "Driving Directions" feature what destination you want to arrive at, followed by your current location. "Driving Directions" will then tell you step by step how to get to your target, which can be extremely useful.
Abuses
As I mentioned earlier, the problem of Tellme being reached by a payphone is solved by calling through the local operator. But what can be done with this service that would constitute an abuse?
The most entertaining one that I've come up with is used with the "Wake Up Call" feature. Suppose you're at a university, corporate building, or any other large entity that does not use COCOTs. By first getting the number of the payphone you're at (if it's not printed on the phone itself, try your local ANAC code - up here in Connecticut it's 970), you can call through the operator to get to Tellme.
Next, login as a new user and set a wake up call for the payphone's number at, say, 3 pm. Now hang up and move on to another phone. Once you've gotten all the phones set for wake up calls, stick around and watch the chaos ensue as they all ring off the hook at the same exact time. The people around you will have no idea what's going on!
Sure, this is a childish thing to do, but if Tellme's only security is rejecting coin lines, I think they're asking for trouble.
While not necessarily an abuse as of yet, the "Phone Booth" feature does have potential. Recently I've tried calling operators through the service, but as I said above, this cannot be done. What I did do though, is get the number for Tellme's corporate office. It was rather trivial, but by using "Phone Booth" and calling an ANI readback number, you wind up getting their area code and number, which shouldn't make it too difficult to find out where they're located.
For those of you who don't want to go through the trouble, the number is 650-930-9000. To all you crafty thinkers out there, no, you can't have Tellme call itself in an endless loop. At least, I haven't been able to.
The "Driving Directions" section hasn't really been exploited, but does offer one feature that most would not recognize as such. When entering your destination, you could choose to use the city name or ZIP Code. In turn, the computer will read back the city that corresponds with the given code. This can be very useful in figuring out where a particular ZIP Code is. Unfortunately I haven't had any luck with getting a ZIP Code when I actually name the city myself.
Conclusion
It's important to remember that Tellme has hundreds of other options, and I highly suggest you call and try out this amazing number for yourself.
Also offered are movie listings/reviews, weather reports, blackjack (never lost a hand!), and stock quotes as well. Call them up and see what you can find, but remember, I think we should be grateful to them for providing us with this line. For that reason, please don't overuse it or abuse it.
This article has shown you some fun things that can be done, and hopefully they will be changed in the future. But until then treat Tellme with respect. They might make you listen to ads, but that's a little better than paying $10.99 per minute.